HAPPY SLEEP IN ITALY
LEFAY RESORT & SPA, LAKE GARDA, ITALY
A busy mother tries to get back on track and rediscover restful nights
Mother, wife, writer, co-founder of a digital production company and documentary producer – the juggle is real and sleep is where the cracks show. I stay up working, washing uniforms or watching Netflix until 3am, or crash on the sofa after putting my daughters to bed, then wake up at 4am. I’m tired, wired and have high hopes for Lefay’s “Sweet Dreams” sleep programme.
Overlooking Lake Garda, Lefay is luxurious and open plan – a Bond villain lair circa 1960, with marble floors and mountain views. The spa manager explained that Lefay blends Western scientific research with classical Chinese medicine, and that we are each born with a bowl of Jing, or fixed amount of life-force. If managed well (sleep is critical), this lasts until we’re at least 80. I imagine taking huge scoops out of mine, the way I wolf down a tub of Ben & Jerry’s
(did I mention my sugar issues?).
My programme treats body, spirit and mind. There’s acupuncture to relieve the backaches, deep-tissue Chinese tuina massage and moxibustion (a form of heat therapy) to release energy. This feels like a hot needle boring into my back – apparently my liver holds a lot of anger and shame. I carry baggage from a turbulent childhood, so this clicks. I’m encouraged to acknowledge my emotions in order to sleep better, and am taught tai chi, which is therapeutic. The greatest gift, though, comes from Dr Gavazzi, a doctor and psychotherapist trained in Western and Eastern medicine, who helps me realise how tired I really am. I must choose, she tells me, to sleep well, eat well and not heap so much on my plate. It’s a powerful moment.
The food reflects this idea of “you decide”, with steak and potatoes next to a more pious menu. I choose fish with vegetables. I work out in the gym, swim under the stars and steam in the hammam, replacing overeating and overworking with something more nurturing. I’m a caregiver – why shouldn’t I care for myself? And it works. For the first time in 15 years, I sleep for eight hours every night. I felt stable, positive and, back at home, my husband notes things bother me less. I’ve learnt good habits – shutting down electronics for an evening ritual of bath, herbal tea and deep breathing. Here’s to many more nights of unbroken sleep. ATEH JEWEL
HAPPY AT HOME
Instil a digital curfew at 8pm so you can start to unwind.